Scotians drop Bulldogs in exhibition play

Pictou County Scotians forwards Brandon Verge and Ryan Langille look for the loose puck during Monday's exhibition game against the Antigonish Bulldogs.

NEW GLASGOW - Pictou County Junior B Scotians head coach Chris Stewart was pleased with what he saw as his squad defeated the Antigonish Bulldogs 6-4 in exhibition play on Monday night at the Pictou County Wellness Centre.

Stewart said there was no particular goal for the night other than to get his team back on the ice and see how the new players fit into the lineup.

“It was just to get the guys some exposure out there,” said Stewart. “We’ve got a good core of returning guys, but we had some new guys in the lineup as well. We just want to get the game sense back leading into next week’s league opener.”

Up front Stewart and the coaching staff are confident with the players they have, but said they are looking for a few more defencemen to help fill some roles on the team. To the delight of the organization both goalies are also returners.

“We’ve still got some spots to fill and we’re working on doing that, but the performance tonight was good and the new guys we brought in battled hard,” he said. “They’re still trying to earn a spot on the team, but it’s been a pleasant surprise.

“We’re looking at some defencemen out there that we’re confident that we can get in our lineup. A lot will materialize over the next couple of weeks, but we’re confident we can put together a solid lineup.”

The Scotians first NSJHL regular season game is this Friday against the Strait Pirates.